aloha! or however they say hello in bali - i just got here so i'm still learning!
i wrapped up my last week in india at a 5-day silent meditation retreat in the himalaya mountains. it was the 4th time i've been to this place and this retreat was easier than the 10-day retreats i've done, but it was lacking in the 1-hour discussion group where you can actually talk at one point in the day, and there was no yoga this time...but a really enriching experience led by a knowledgeable, fun teacher...and i did manage to make some friends [everything is relative, even 'silence' ;]
and i hit the road: overnight bus from dharamsala in the himalaya mountains where i became a truly seasoned traveler by wretching out the bus window - not even a drop got in the bus - no applause, please! followed by 1 full day in delhi. and don't get me wrong, i love the magic that india has to offer in all of her obscure and difficult ways, but delhi is a different beast. it's dusty, hot, and unforgiving in so many ways. so i took a cab to the airport with a few folks from the overnight bus, and we played cards in the a/c for about 7 hours before my overnight flight to bali.
i was tired when i got here. i think i slept for 11 hours last night, whew! my cousin amy has a super sweet little house with lots of wooden carvings, and even a washing machine. and the sheer joy of unpacking my bag for 2 weeks, good heavens it's better than ice cream!
today amy's working so i'm on a bike adventure to the beach. i'm sitting at a big warehouse-type building which is a grocery store in front, furniture store in back, and "computer lab" upstairs. these little balinese boys are playing a game with a mop handle (i love their creativity and quick smiles) and there's a lame dog hobbling around up here as well. bali's pretty sweet: as you can see it's go some character, but generally paradisical (a real word i do not know?)...friendly happy people, orchids growing naturally kind of a place.
will have stories of snorkeling and yoga to come, mehopes!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Final Thoughts on an Incredible Adventure
Final Thoughts on an Incredible Adventure
I began writing this on the train from Thrissur to Mumbai on Thursday and will finish it today, Sunday, April 3. This will be my last email of the trip as I fly home early tomorrow morning. I've tried to summarize my journey with some final thoughts.
The sun has just set on our northbound journey to Mumbai. The villages hidden among palm and banana trees are beginning to disappear. Some homes still have a faint glow in this period of civil twilight. My journey is also beginning to fade into twilight. Only a couple of days left and Mother India will reside in my memory as does Nepal and Tibet. What I have seen in the past three years and how each of these trips have changed me in so many ways.
I called her Mother India because everyone else did. But having spent the past almost six weeks of my life in her arms I now know why. From the moment you arrive she takes you by the hand and sometimes she takes you by the throat. Mostly she's held my hand very gently. She is a most beautiful country, a most beautiful and colorful culture, and above all she is a most beautiful people. She is the most populated city in India, Mumbai. Full of trucks, cars, motorcycles, and rickshaws all seemingly blowing their horns at the same time. She is the trash piled on the side of the railway tracks and littering every street in India. She is the bicycles transporting everything from twenty foot sections of rebar to a chai walla delivering chai to four 25 pound bags of ice (they don't ride the bicycles they use them as a transport vehicle). She is the beaches and colorful fishing boats of Varkala and Kovalum. She is the beautifully decorated elephants at the festivals. She is the Hindus and the Muslims and the Christians that all live in here. She is the large beautiful Hindu temples and the small but still beautiful roadside shrine. She is the Muslim mosque. She is the Catholic church. She is the colorful markings on one's forehead showing they've worshipped at the temple. She is the cows, goats, dogs, cats, and rats that walk the streets as if they owned them. She is the man on the sidewalk that will re-stitch your soccer ball. She is the cobbler on the sidewalk that will repair your shoe while holding it with his feet as he works on it with his hands. She is the man on the street who will repair your umbrella instead of just throwing it away. She is the boys playing cricket and soccer on the same dirt field in their bare feet (shoes are used as the wickets in cricket and goal markers in soccer). She is the men of India who work every back-breaking task in sandals or flip-flops and still carry most everything heavy on their heads. She is the women of India who work every back breaking task in a beautiful sari. And She is hot, She is one very hot lady.
Before this trip I never had much contact with the Indian culture. I guess the first Indian I knew was my teacher for Introduction to Digital Circuits in the late 70's. Akshay Jain, I still remember his name, and he was a really nice person and a good teacher. I've never gone to many Indian restaurants because I thought all the food was made with curry.
Having spent a bit of time in India and travelled to numerous cities, towns, and villages, stayed at all sorts of hotels, guest houses, and house boats, travelled by air, train, taxi, rickshaw, motorcycle, by just plain walking, I've discovered this: The Indian people are the most genuinely happy and friendly people I've ever met. The smiles and accompanying head wobbles from side to side are genuine, the wanting you to take their photo followed by it's viewing and the subsequent smile and head wobble are genuine. They will go out of their way to help you. Even when they tell you to turn right while they point to the left, they are genuinely trying to help. They say that a foreigner in their country is their God; this saying is really genuine. I can't say enough to describe how genuinely kind the Indian people have been to me.
How my perception of Indian food has changed. I've enjoyed every meal I've eaten here in India. My food experience in Dharamsala last July provided me much concern before I arrived. It didn't take long for me to realize that I wasn't going to get sick from everything I ate. Truth is, after six weeks I only had one day where my stomach felt a bit funny. It was probably from the grease of lamb dish I ate at a restaurant in Mysore. Most of the food I've eaten has been vegetarian. Lots of lentils, potatoes, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, and a lot of other vegetables I never heard of before. The Indians cook everything with such a variety of spices. You would taste ginger in one bite, cilantro in another, the flavors of cumin, turmeric, curry leaves, and green chilis would explode in your mouth. Sometimes all in a single dish. I brought a 96 pack of tums with me. Two weeks into the trip I poured half of them out. I've taken maybe three or four the entire trip. There's a lot more to Indian food than curry. One more note on food, the best meal I had here was at the Trattoria Restaurant in Varkala. It was a filet of fresh butterfish cooked in spices and wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in a clay oven. I actually ordered it twice.
Mother India loves the game of cricket. India has been hosting the matches for The World Cricket Cup since I arrived. I've watched enough matches to have developed a pretty good understanding of the game. The sign of a true sportsman. As you know from yesterday's email, India won.
Heather planned our trips to Southern India for a reason. The people and the food. She couldn't have made a better choice for a first timer to India. So I would say go to Kerala and get your feet wet there. If I had to pick a favorite location from my experience it would certainly be the backwaters. Heather put it best before our first visit there, when she said, "the backwaters are idyllic". I spent a total of six nights there. The beauty of the canals lined with palm and banana trees, hibiscus flowers, plumerias, jack fruit trees, and the occasional iridescent blue kingfisher diving in the water for it's meal was, well...idyllic. The everyday life of the backwater inhabitants was life standing still. People bathe at the water's edge. Men bathe with a light towel around their waist, women bathe fully clothed, and kids bathe in their birthday suits. They wash their clothes by soaping them and then rolling them on a flat stone. They rinse them in the water and then slap them hard on the flat stone for the final rinse. The slapping down of a shirt or pant on that a flat stone echoed throughout the canals. They wash their dishes, metal plates and cups in the canals as well. Kids have few toys if any. They just entertain themselves with what they have which is the nature around them. Materially they don't have much but they're all very happy, and they're rich, very rich.
I'd like to say to my traveling companion of the last six weeks how much I've enjoyed my time with this recovering gypsy. Heather has been an absolute pleasure to travel with. It would not have been the same experience without her at my side. I will forever treasure these six weeks with her. She did a marvelous job of planning and coordinating our activities, many times by the seat of her beautiful Ali Baba pants. She has always been the consistently beautiful and wonderful Heather we all know. Even when Mother India would grab her gently yet firmly by the hand and re-arranged her intention, she would just wobble her head from side to side and smile. She is a beautiful soul. Safe travels and come home soon as all your yogi friends in San Diego who miss you dearly. Thank you so much and my love to you always Miss Mev.
To Heather's Father and Mother, you did an outstanding job raising your daughter. She talked fondly of the both of you throughout the trip.
Thanks to all of you on my undisclosed recipients list for taking your time to read my, at times, lengthy emails. It has been a pleasure to share my experiences with you.
See you all soon.
Happy Trails and Safe Travels - Mike
PS. And lastly, thank you Mother India for adding so much more to my life.
I began writing this on the train from Thrissur to Mumbai on Thursday and will finish it today, Sunday, April 3. This will be my last email of the trip as I fly home early tomorrow morning. I've tried to summarize my journey with some final thoughts.
The sun has just set on our northbound journey to Mumbai. The villages hidden among palm and banana trees are beginning to disappear. Some homes still have a faint glow in this period of civil twilight. My journey is also beginning to fade into twilight. Only a couple of days left and Mother India will reside in my memory as does Nepal and Tibet. What I have seen in the past three years and how each of these trips have changed me in so many ways.
I called her Mother India because everyone else did. But having spent the past almost six weeks of my life in her arms I now know why. From the moment you arrive she takes you by the hand and sometimes she takes you by the throat. Mostly she's held my hand very gently. She is a most beautiful country, a most beautiful and colorful culture, and above all she is a most beautiful people. She is the most populated city in India, Mumbai. Full of trucks, cars, motorcycles, and rickshaws all seemingly blowing their horns at the same time. She is the trash piled on the side of the railway tracks and littering every street in India. She is the bicycles transporting everything from twenty foot sections of rebar to a chai walla delivering chai to four 25 pound bags of ice (they don't ride the bicycles they use them as a transport vehicle). She is the beaches and colorful fishing boats of Varkala and Kovalum. She is the beautifully decorated elephants at the festivals. She is the Hindus and the Muslims and the Christians that all live in here. She is the large beautiful Hindu temples and the small but still beautiful roadside shrine. She is the Muslim mosque. She is the Catholic church. She is the colorful markings on one's forehead showing they've worshipped at the temple. She is the cows, goats, dogs, cats, and rats that walk the streets as if they owned them. She is the man on the sidewalk that will re-stitch your soccer ball. She is the cobbler on the sidewalk that will repair your shoe while holding it with his feet as he works on it with his hands. She is the man on the street who will repair your umbrella instead of just throwing it away. She is the boys playing cricket and soccer on the same dirt field in their bare feet (shoes are used as the wickets in cricket and goal markers in soccer). She is the men of India who work every back-breaking task in sandals or flip-flops and still carry most everything heavy on their heads. She is the women of India who work every back breaking task in a beautiful sari. And She is hot, She is one very hot lady.
Before this trip I never had much contact with the Indian culture. I guess the first Indian I knew was my teacher for Introduction to Digital Circuits in the late 70's. Akshay Jain, I still remember his name, and he was a really nice person and a good teacher. I've never gone to many Indian restaurants because I thought all the food was made with curry.
Having spent a bit of time in India and travelled to numerous cities, towns, and villages, stayed at all sorts of hotels, guest houses, and house boats, travelled by air, train, taxi, rickshaw, motorcycle, by just plain walking, I've discovered this: The Indian people are the most genuinely happy and friendly people I've ever met. The smiles and accompanying head wobbles from side to side are genuine, the wanting you to take their photo followed by it's viewing and the subsequent smile and head wobble are genuine. They will go out of their way to help you. Even when they tell you to turn right while they point to the left, they are genuinely trying to help. They say that a foreigner in their country is their God; this saying is really genuine. I can't say enough to describe how genuinely kind the Indian people have been to me.
How my perception of Indian food has changed. I've enjoyed every meal I've eaten here in India. My food experience in Dharamsala last July provided me much concern before I arrived. It didn't take long for me to realize that I wasn't going to get sick from everything I ate. Truth is, after six weeks I only had one day where my stomach felt a bit funny. It was probably from the grease of lamb dish I ate at a restaurant in Mysore. Most of the food I've eaten has been vegetarian. Lots of lentils, potatoes, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, and a lot of other vegetables I never heard of before. The Indians cook everything with such a variety of spices. You would taste ginger in one bite, cilantro in another, the flavors of cumin, turmeric, curry leaves, and green chilis would explode in your mouth. Sometimes all in a single dish. I brought a 96 pack of tums with me. Two weeks into the trip I poured half of them out. I've taken maybe three or four the entire trip. There's a lot more to Indian food than curry. One more note on food, the best meal I had here was at the Trattoria Restaurant in Varkala. It was a filet of fresh butterfish cooked in spices and wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in a clay oven. I actually ordered it twice.
Mother India loves the game of cricket. India has been hosting the matches for The World Cricket Cup since I arrived. I've watched enough matches to have developed a pretty good understanding of the game. The sign of a true sportsman. As you know from yesterday's email, India won.
Heather planned our trips to Southern India for a reason. The people and the food. She couldn't have made a better choice for a first timer to India. So I would say go to Kerala and get your feet wet there. If I had to pick a favorite location from my experience it would certainly be the backwaters. Heather put it best before our first visit there, when she said, "the backwaters are idyllic". I spent a total of six nights there. The beauty of the canals lined with palm and banana trees, hibiscus flowers, plumerias, jack fruit trees, and the occasional iridescent blue kingfisher diving in the water for it's meal was, well...idyllic. The everyday life of the backwater inhabitants was life standing still. People bathe at the water's edge. Men bathe with a light towel around their waist, women bathe fully clothed, and kids bathe in their birthday suits. They wash their clothes by soaping them and then rolling them on a flat stone. They rinse them in the water and then slap them hard on the flat stone for the final rinse. The slapping down of a shirt or pant on that a flat stone echoed throughout the canals. They wash their dishes, metal plates and cups in the canals as well. Kids have few toys if any. They just entertain themselves with what they have which is the nature around them. Materially they don't have much but they're all very happy, and they're rich, very rich.
I'd like to say to my traveling companion of the last six weeks how much I've enjoyed my time with this recovering gypsy. Heather has been an absolute pleasure to travel with. It would not have been the same experience without her at my side. I will forever treasure these six weeks with her. She did a marvelous job of planning and coordinating our activities, many times by the seat of her beautiful Ali Baba pants. She has always been the consistently beautiful and wonderful Heather we all know. Even when Mother India would grab her gently yet firmly by the hand and re-arranged her intention, she would just wobble her head from side to side and smile. She is a beautiful soul. Safe travels and come home soon as all your yogi friends in San Diego who miss you dearly. Thank you so much and my love to you always Miss Mev.
To Heather's Father and Mother, you did an outstanding job raising your daughter. She talked fondly of the both of you throughout the trip.
Thanks to all of you on my undisclosed recipients list for taking your time to read my, at times, lengthy emails. It has been a pleasure to share my experiences with you.
See you all soon.
Happy Trails and Safe Travels - Mike
PS. And lastly, thank you Mother India for adding so much more to my life.
Saturday, April 2
Saturday, April 2
We have just been dropped off at our hotel from a brief tour of the dobi wallas area and the of the Dharavi slum. The dobi wallas area is a huge area where laundry from all over Mumbai comes to have it washed by hand by the dobi wallas. These people work hard for 356 days a year washing clothes by hand. Each garment is tagged and sorted by color then washed and then returned to the proper "clothes basket". There were hundreds of these little cubes that are rented out to the dobi wallas.
The tour of the Dharavi slum was for me the least enjoyable part of the trip. Least enjoyable from the point of view that it was like walking through a landfill, a hazardous waste dump, a toxic waste area, and an industrial area all rolled into one. This was the first part of the tour. The slum has actually been turned into a huge money making enterprise by performing the recycling of plastic, aluminum, five gallon paints cans, large metal cooking oil containers, just to name a few. Each of these are performed in separate areas and provide needed work for the residents of the slum. The working conditions by Western standards would be grounds to have each of these operations shut down. Ill lit work areas, poor ventilation, cramped and unsafe working conditions were the norm at each recycling activity we were shown. Because today has been declared a national holiday as the India cricket team made it to the final none of these activities were in operation or were in limited operation. Just as well. Having said all of that the workers at each facility were the typical friendly smiling Indian we've encountered everywhere.
We also visited the residential arena. Many of the people how work in the slum also live in the slum. A typical living space would be ten feet by 20 feet and a family of five or more would live there. The residential area we visited also would not be acceptable by Western standards. They have electricity but do not have bathroom or bathing inside their homes. The home is really a small 10' x 15' area where perhaps a family of five would live. A common water faucet is shared and on for three hours a day. And having said all that the residents seemed happy and well taken care of. The conditions reeked of poverty but the people who live in the slum considered middle class (according to our tour guide). I personally wouldn't consider anyone I saw in the slum today middle class. Because it is so expensive to live in Mumbai no one who lives here is considered poor. I guess things are relative.
I was going to send this out earlier today but I decided to wait until I knew the outcome of the World Cricket Cup Championship. Well this certainly means nothing to everyone who is on my list but India has won and the residents of Mumbai and no doubt the rest of India are going crazy. It's been 28 years since they won the last championship and they are really happy. Once again, Mother India has provided us another magic moment.
yep, that was wild
hey y'all...i know uncle mike (as i've come to call him over the past month or so) has brought you up to date on most of the details of the trip...but speaking of t r i p, i just gotta reiterate that that snake ritual that CA Menon took us to in the middle of nowhere was straight from outer space! i like to think that in the year i've spent in india over my five visits, that i've been around the block and seen a lot. but this took the cake.
it was set in a little local village where the people greeted us shyly and excitedly on their doorsteps - not used to westerners, they stammered their hello's and showed us to the back of the house where there were drums and horns, about 50 candles lit against the night, and people moving in a procession. CA Menon (our man "who helps other people" and didn't want to be called a "guide") had told us that people would be entranced but who knew what to expect? about 30 people moved in a procession moving with a beat, and 3-4 people were pretty easily spotted in their trance...just out of it. one man kind of started growling and pawing at his face and head. one woman grabbed a stick and started smacking people with it...she eventually fell over and smacked her head pretty hard against a stone. the 2 other people were more mellow but definitely...somewhere else. with the drums and the candles and everything, you just can't describe the energy in the place, it was palpable and strong, and very much devotional.
and then after the people came out of their trance they were just walking around like nothing happened. w i l d, i tell you.
we did have a 24-hour train ride, business as usual. mumbai was 110 degrees last week and today it's about 80 - thank you mother india, for that huge blessing! leaving kerala struck my heart a little bit because that's my home away from home away from home, and the people are so sweet and lovely there, as is the land. we only have one more full day left in mumbai. today we visited the largest slum in asia, which was a good educational experience. the thing i notice there is that the people are underprivileged, but man they're happy. so quick to smile so genuinely. makes me wonder what really does make us happy. the guide told us that a lot of people have the means to move out of the slum but choose to stay there because of the community that they're part of.
as i type away, the world cup for cricket is taking place about a mile away from our hotel - india made it to the finals, so the whole country is abuzz. this is of superbowl proportions. india is at bat right now (for the next 3.5 hours) and they've got some catching up to do. i've got my fingers crossed that tomorrow is a very happy india...it's our last full day for the tour and what a way to go out. we'll see what's up mother india's sleeve for this one...may even wander out to the street to have a gander at the scene - little crowds of men craning their necks to look at a little tv in a shop, may just explode with joy in a few hours...fingers crossed, once again!
happy day!
it was set in a little local village where the people greeted us shyly and excitedly on their doorsteps - not used to westerners, they stammered their hello's and showed us to the back of the house where there were drums and horns, about 50 candles lit against the night, and people moving in a procession. CA Menon (our man "who helps other people" and didn't want to be called a "guide") had told us that people would be entranced but who knew what to expect? about 30 people moved in a procession moving with a beat, and 3-4 people were pretty easily spotted in their trance...just out of it. one man kind of started growling and pawing at his face and head. one woman grabbed a stick and started smacking people with it...she eventually fell over and smacked her head pretty hard against a stone. the 2 other people were more mellow but definitely...somewhere else. with the drums and the candles and everything, you just can't describe the energy in the place, it was palpable and strong, and very much devotional.
and then after the people came out of their trance they were just walking around like nothing happened. w i l d, i tell you.
we did have a 24-hour train ride, business as usual. mumbai was 110 degrees last week and today it's about 80 - thank you mother india, for that huge blessing! leaving kerala struck my heart a little bit because that's my home away from home away from home, and the people are so sweet and lovely there, as is the land. we only have one more full day left in mumbai. today we visited the largest slum in asia, which was a good educational experience. the thing i notice there is that the people are underprivileged, but man they're happy. so quick to smile so genuinely. makes me wonder what really does make us happy. the guide told us that a lot of people have the means to move out of the slum but choose to stay there because of the community that they're part of.
as i type away, the world cup for cricket is taking place about a mile away from our hotel - india made it to the finals, so the whole country is abuzz. this is of superbowl proportions. india is at bat right now (for the next 3.5 hours) and they've got some catching up to do. i've got my fingers crossed that tomorrow is a very happy india...it's our last full day for the tour and what a way to go out. we'll see what's up mother india's sleeve for this one...may even wander out to the street to have a gander at the scene - little crowds of men craning their necks to look at a little tv in a shop, may just explode with joy in a few hours...fingers crossed, once again!
happy day!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Thursday, March 31
Thursday, March 31
We have departed Thrissur to Mumbai by way of a 22 1/2 hour overnight train ride. We are currently on board and into hour number one. We are in an air conditioned sleeper car and will not get kicked out because our names were posted on a dot matrix printer list at the entry door. We have five sleeper bunks, numbers 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15. They've already passed out our two sheets, blanket, and pillow. I've already put on my PJ bottoms so I'm set. I told Heather that I have actually looked forward to this train ride even before I left for the trip. Let's see how I feel in 21 1/2 hours.
The time leading up to bed was pretty much just sitting talking, the girls reading tarot cards, I was plugged in to my iPod and generally eating non-stop. Heather and I went to a local market and picked up bananas, oranges, almonds, pistachios, mangoes, and an assortment of biscuits and sweets so we had plenty to eat.
Well we've made it through the overnight part of the train ride. We were awoken by "chai chaiee, chai chaiee" followed by "coffee coffee coffee". It's around 7am and Shauna and I are up, Heather, Genny, and Yurie are still sleeping. I feel like I was awake off and on all night but feel rested and alert. The rocking and swaying of the train at times felt like someone was pushing me trying to wake me up. The second coffee walla passed by and I ordered two cups. The coffee and chai are served in small paper cups and is served very hot. Both come pre-mixed with milk and sugar (lots of sugar). Delicious.
Breakfast has just been delivered. I'm having a bread omelet which as it sounds is an omelet between two slices of plain white bread. I also ordered a masala dosa which consists of a filling of potatoes and spices wrapped in a round tortilla-like bread, kind of like a burrito.
I guess I should say something about the toilets on the train. There are two for each train car. There is a squat over type which have pedestals shaped like shoe soles so you position yourself correctly for the eight inch hole that empties directly onto the train tracks below. And there is also a Western style that also empties directly on the tracks below. They didn't smell like roses but they served us well.
Our cabin was swept and mopped once, swept again, and the trash was collected twice. The toilets were cleaned at least twice. Overall the overnight train ride was actually very enjoyable. Clean conditions, good food, plenty of chai and coffee, and once the lights went out the railway car we were in was pretty quiet. I have no complaints.
We're back in Mumbai at the Welcome Hotel. I hear it is close to where the final between India and Sri Lanka will be held for the World Cricket Cup starting tomorrow at 2:30 pm. It's like the Super Bowl, but 1 billion Indians will be watching this event. We're going to be picked up at 8 am for our visit to the Dharavi slum. My guess is that traffic here tomorrow will be a nightmare. I'll let you know. Also I have wifi in my room so there will not be a repeat of earlier this week of going to an internet and be told they have wifi only to show the next and be told they don't have wifi. Oh that Mother India.
Tuesday, March 29
Tuesday, March 29
We departed Cochin for Thrissur this morning. Heather had set the intention to visit a local village prior to arriving the Ernakulum train station. She was to coordinate this visit with a couple of rickshaw drivers. Before leaving Oy's La home stay I knew this could be problematic as the rickshaw drivers English isn't always the best, but certainly better than my Malayalam or Hindi. We set out with loaded backpacks into the morning sun and heat. We quickly flagged down two rickshaw drivers. The dialog began to explain to these two gentlemen that we wanted to go to a local village where there would be no Westerners and we were not interested in doing any shopping. We were looking for a similar experience as the one we had at Varkala. So understandings agreed upon off we went. The first stop was at a local shop probably belonging to this drivers cousin. We said no shopping needed and off we went again. This was my fourth visit to Cochin so I had travelled the local roads a few times, so when he made the left turn towards a bridge I knew we were headed in the direction of train station. We pulled off to the side of the road for one more attempt to explain what we were in search of. I think at this point they understood us but at this point we decided to just head to the train station.
The train ride from Ernakulum to Thrissur was the smoothest yet. We found seating together and the train got us Thrissur on time.
For the past month, Heather had been coordinating activities for our return visit to Thrissur with a Mr. C. A. Menon. C.A. was born in Indonesia but moved to India when he was five. He arrived while we were at lunch and said we must depart immediately as he had a number of activities planned. Little did we know but this evening would turn out to be the absolute best experience yet.
A very comfortable air conditioned seven passenger van provided our transportation needs for the evening. A brief stop to his house so he could pick up medication for a small stroke he had on the 18th of March. He said he had some difficulty in talking but otherwise he was fine. His English was excellent but we did have trouble with has accent at times. Off we went to a festival with three elephants.
We arrived just minutes before the musical entourage and the elephants. I have a twenty minute video of the event. It is simply amazing. There were thirty or so musicians walking just ahead of the elephants. We could hear the drums counting cadence in the distance as the procession advanced towards us. What a spectacle as the turned the corner. Thirty bare chested Indian men all with while lungi's wrapped around them carrying various types of drums, tablas, cymbals, and curved trumpets being followed by three huge Indian elephants. Each elephant had their foreheads all beautifully decorated and each elephant carried three men. One commanded the elephant, one held these white round feather-looking yak-hair decorations in each hand and the last held a staff with a large parasol on top. The entire procession stopped directly in front of us and proceeded to play some deafening but powerfully beautiful music. Drums and tablas pounding, trumpets blaring, cymbals clanging all in perfect rhythm. At various times during the music the men on the elephants would stand up and perform with the white round feathery decorations. It was again simply amazing. With a prompt from C.A. off we went.
The next stop was to the second richest temple in India. It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus. The temple is located in Guruvaya and is a good hours drive from Thrissur. We couldn't go inside the temple but according to C.A., if we tell someone we've been to Guruvaya they would be impressed. C.A. left us to be entertained at an auditorium adjacent to the temple while he went to pray. We watched three beautiful ladies dance in traditional Indian costumes and their faces beautifully made up in traditional make up and nose rings on both sides of their nose. We were able to go back stage and take a couple of pictures. Awesome.
We arrived at our next stop around 9 pm and it will no doubt be the pinnacle of the trip. If you've been following my travels you know I've had some amazing experiences but what I am about to tell you will simply astound you.
There is a small clan of families that perform a snake dance ritual. There are no snakes at this ritual. These families meet from time to time at various locations and perform this ritual. They all live and eat together and have no sex during this ritual time. We were the first Westerners ever to witness this ritual in this village and I was the first to ever video it. Think about that for a second. There was some discussion at first over whether I could video the ritual but I was approached by two men who basically said have fun and record away. I was later asked if I would be so kind to provide them a copy. Here I am recording their sacred ritual and they were so humble in asking me for a copy. So typical of the very gracious Indian people.
There was a large cube like frame in the center of a small courtyard. It was open on all four sides as well as the top. All parts of the frame were about four feet in length. It was like on open air temple or alter. Hanging from all four sides were long strands of white flowers and other hand made white origami type decorations. Inside the frame on the ground at the center was an oil lamp. From that lamp there were other eight other oil lamps each positioned at North, South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest all outside the frame of the alter. They had created a beautiful mandala both on the inside of the alter and on the outside of the alter. The mandala was made from various type of spices and rice. There were the colors of burgundy, light green, light orange, browns, and white which formed this beautiful tapestry which would be destroyed at the end of the evening. Placed around the alter were offering of food and flowers.
Across from the alter were three musicians. One man played a string instrument with a clay pot as the body of the instrument, one man played the cymbals, and there was one female singer.
On the perimeter of the courtyard was a small temple and other small out buildings.
We arrived just as they were beginning the ritual. A procession of about twenty five to thirty people forming a long single line departed in front of us. I am guessing that this long single line forms the snake ritual. Soon the procession returned and passed directly in front of us. It was led a man playing a violin type instrument. He was followed by other men carrying cymbals, bells, and other ritual articles and symbols. The men were followed by the women who carried food offerings and small oil lamps, they were followed by the girls who also carried food offerings and small oil lamps. There was one man and two women who had gone into a trance and they too walked with the procession. The man in the trance was supported and assisted by two other men as were the two women in the trance supported and assisted by women.
The procession weaved its way first passing clockwise around the temple then around a small building, then into the small courtyard passing again clockwise around the altar then past the musicians. They then exited the small courtyard, passing again in front of us to complete the circle they were to walk again and again.
I don't know at what point the two women came out of their trance but the man remained in his trance much longer. They stopped in front of the alter while the others attempted to bring him out of his trance. He carried this curved stick that he placed behind his neck and held the two ends with each hand. He would sway back and forth raising his hands and the curved stick overhead and wave his arms from side to side. At one point he dropped the curved stick and began to violently run his hands through his hair and at another he became violent and swung his arms attempting to resist the help from the others. Eventually he passed out and was carried away and was laid down on the steps of that small out building. There was another man dressed in red who wore a large arrangement of bells around his waist and carried what looked like a large metal staff. He would jump up and down and twirl his staff and shout unrecognizable phrases. He too became tranced and later passed out and was carried off to recover.
After each of the tranced individuals came back to their normal self a series of dances were performed around the alter. A group of men and a larger group of younger boys performed a dance later followed by a man who performed a series fire dances. The ritual then settled down to listen to some traditional music. At the request of C.A., I was asked to record one particular song which I did.
Our group was invited to dinner but only Heather and I accepted. Much like at the Swami's in Trivandrum, we were sat at the head of the table. As always the food was delicious. They asked both of us if we would like spoons but we opted to eat with our fingers much to the delight of our hosts.
I hope my descriptions of the snake ritual was sufficient to give you a visual of the event. I am so grateful that they allowed me to record the event. I am still in a bit of a shock that we were the first Westerners every to watch this ritual. Thank you Mr. C.A. Menon for a remarkable evening.
Tomorrow we depart Thrissur for Mumbai on a 20 hour overnight train ride. Could there possibly be something to write about in that?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A Week's Worth of Catching Up
March 22-23, Tuesday - Wednesday
The big news of today was Mr. Warren Buffett (the third richest men in the world) arrived at the Bangalore airport shortly after I did and I was able to record his reception as he arrived in the main concourse. There were two dancers in traditional Karnataka dress who performed for him. I have a video which I probably not so spectacular. The noteworthy part is that Mr. Buffet and his entourage positioned themselves directly in front of me for a photo shoot. I could have put my hand on his shoulder so it probably looks like I'm part of the entourage. So if anyone wants to Google "Warren Buffet Bangalore Airport" and see if I'm standing behind him in one of those photos.
I had forgotten what a long ride it was from the Cochin airport to Fort Cochin. It was an hour and a half of night driving in India. This activity is not for the faint of heart. First off everyone drives just as crazy at night as they do during the day. It is very difficult to see as most streets are either dimly lit or no lit at all. The trucks and cars have various degrees of working lights. Some not at all, some have front lights but no rear lights. Some trucks have running lights and some don't, same is true for front and rear lights. Then there's the motorcycles which most working lights but bicyclist have no lights anywhere. Many people drive with the high beam lights on all the time so these oncoming vehicles on add to the degree of difficulty of driving at night. Horn blowing is the national pastime and at night flashing your high beams on and off adds to the dexterity of the driver. My driver must have flashed his high beans on and off the entire one and a half hours ride. Just the clicking was enough to pluck one's nerves. All of this and add in that most roads are in need of serious repair make for one harrowing night driving experience.
After a night's rest at the Delight home stay I departed Cochin for a couple days stay at the Green Palm home stay in the backwaters. Fortunately there were six people from France traveling from the Green Palm to Cochin so I was able to catch a ride back in and shiny new air conditioned version of India's SUV. He dropped me off directly across from the home stay where I caught the public canoe across the canal. My plans are to do as little as possible.
My afternoon was spent watching the residents go about their lives in the back waters of Kerala. Afternoon bathing and washing dishes along side the canal are activities most observed. The women bath fully clothed, the men wrap a thin oversized towel around them and the little kids are naked.
I did take a short walk Wednesday afternoon and encountered a young boy squatting over a rock crushing a bag of crackers with a rock. I asked him what he was doing. He looked up and said "Playing." The closest item that resembles a toy are bicycles but they are used for transportation. The world cricket matches are going on right now and it is huge over here. I've seen kids playing cricket, some have an actual cricket bat and ball, but some use a ball that's just a bunch of string held together somehow and the cricket bat is made from a palm prawn. All the kids I've met here in the back waters have been very friendly, very well mannered, love to talk to Westerners, and really love to have their photo taken. All speak Hindi, Malayalum, and English. Some speak better English than others.
March 24, Thursday
Ate breakfast at 8 and talked to Thomas until 9. Sat under the shade of the boat dock until noon watching the water taxi cross from bank to bank and watched boats of various shapes and sizes move up and down the canal. Ate lunch at 1, took a nap around 3, tea time at 4, took another nap around 5, ate dinner at 8, went to bed at 10. Pretty much what I was looking to do.
March 25, Friday
Met back up with Heather, Genny, Yurie, and Shauna at the boat dock for a second house boat adventure around 2 pm. It was pretty much the same as the other house boat adventure so I won't repeat.
March 26, Saturday
We were dropped off at the dock of the Green Palm home stay around 10 am. I moved back into my same room of Wednesday and Thursday night. Not much to report as we stayed close to the air conditioning. I did take quite a few pictures of the wonderful family and their workers that have taken such good care and have fed up such wonderful food the past few days.
I do have one story to tell. I had thought how nice it would be to be able to give those boys had a real cricket bat and ball to play with. One of the young boys whom I met that was playing cricket with the palm stem and tattered ball, was named Sandeep. He was particularly polite and endearing. During the house boat cruise Friday night we stopped at a local village which happened to have a toy store. I bought a nice wooden cricket bat and four balls for Sandeep. The next day, I thought that I would just walk down to where he was playing and would give him the bat and balls. As it turned out he lived across the canal so it looked like I would be leaving the bat and ball with Manu at the guest house and he would see to it that Sandeep got the gift. Well, just after 7 pm I look up and saw Sandeep is crossing the canal in the taxi. As he approached, I told him to meet me at the dock and that I had something for him. He beamed when he saw the wooden cricket bat and the balls. To put it mildly, he was overjoyed. He said that this was my bat and that he would take care of it forever. He even had me autograph it for him. It was a nice feeling to do something like that for such a fine young man. I have pictures of him crossing the canal in the taxi, bat in hand. It was a nice story to tell.
Tomorrow we leave for Cochin. I've already been there three times but for the new group it will be their first visit. There's plenty to see and do there. Plus they have a internet cafe and the wifi is 30 rupees for an hour (that's less than a dollar) so I can catch you up on my travels.
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